-
about Mitchells Mausers
Need some honest input. I'm not asking anyone to bad mouth. Has any one ever dealt with Mitchells mausers?They advertise in the VFW mag.They say one thing on the web, and something else on the phone.As opposed to other Mauser collectors/dealers how do they stack up?Also I need some input about Armchair gun show,does anyone know him?..Finally If anyone has a mauser or Enfield that they are thinking about selling,feel free to seize the moment.I won't buy before Jan 2008,but I will add 3 rifles to my collection this coming year,so feel free to mention it to me.
Happy happy Paul M
-
Please do avoid mitchells. What they sell borders on fraud. Allegedly, they take a plain $150 Yugo M48 available everywhere and sand the stock & refinish the wood. If the metal finish is poor, they reblue it. If the numbers don't match, they scrub them and restamp them. Then they sell them to you as "arsenal new" without disclosing that they ruined the collector value by refinishing ratty mismatched rifles. Furthermore, they more than imply that the rifles are German ww2 origin when in fact they were made in Yugoslavia in the 1950s.
their "collector grade german K98k's" are mismatched russian Capture K98's that again, mitchells has refinished, restocked and renumbered so they could claim they aren't really Russian Capture rifles. Many also allege their "ss marked" rifles are fakes - I tend to believe thsoe rumors given their other practices.
At the end of the day, people who buy from Mitchells are invariably people who buy Elvis collector plates off the Shopping Network and pimped up M1 garands with gold leaf everywhere from Commemorative Arms. They have no collector value whatsoever.
Real, collectible Yugo Mausers and RC K98's can be had from virtually any other source for ALOT less money.
-
Claven is correct, avoid Mitchells if only because of their inconsistencies in advertising.
Easy on the Elvis plates tho buddy, there is only one king ;)
Depending on what you're looking for as far as a K98k goes I might have a Russian Capture to interest you, I have 2 (maybe 3) I'm considering letting go to fund another rifle I've fallen in love with.
Alternatly check out P&S Militaria, they're still got a few RC's in stock, each of which is at least more legitimate (if not a big uglier) that the ones they hock at Mitchells.
-
Actually I notice you're American so my rifles, nor the ones at P&S will be able to get to you :(
-
My first purchase was a Mitchell. I was misled by the advertizing and paid far more than I should have, however, it is the rifle that got me interested in collecting. My interest in learning about that Mauser led to my C&R license and less expensive rifles. I would advise that you purchase from one of the surplus dealers on the net. You can find a far better deal than Mitchells will offer.
I do not believe that the rifle I obtained from Mitchells has been scrubbed or reworked. It is in fantastic shape though, as are the accessories...
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...DSCN4977-1.jpg
-
Some of their M48's might ONLY be falsely advertised and overpriced. Some others are clearly reworked. Either way, I would not buy from them PERSONALLY.
-
I agree with Claven2, These guys are a hair away from scam. I feel badfor the guys who buy them only to find out when they go to trade off or sell them they got deep smoked. Yep they look great, so do My Yugos and RC's but I never paid over half of what those fellows are charging-SDH
-
I agree with everyone about Mitchell's Mausers. Stay away. Now I will say that not all of their M48's are reworked. I have one and have seen others that are like new. Seems they had a bunch of mint ones that they did not have to beautify.
-
Ok everyone I now have the straight story.The Germen Mauser was the exclusive domain of Paul and Willhelm mauser who manufactured the German Geweher 98 and the Karabiner K98 in Oberdorf Germany until sometime after the end of WW2. It stands among the top 10 rifles of the world, and is #4 in the top bolt action rifles of the worlld( I may be wrong on the bolt action bit) If I am feel free to correct me.I do not know where Mitchell came into the picture, but he is no authority on the Mauser, and I will not buy one of his guns.The more time I spend with this hobby the more I learn
-
has anyone ever done any real research on this? and no, forum research doesnt count. i mean actually taking one to be appraised or inspected. i just bought one today, a k98 not an m48, and yes i know the differences between the 2. i keep seeing forums bad mouthing mm but i keep wondering if any has done their homework besides browsing a forum. i know the mm k98 probably has no collectors value but its still a working rifle and thats what i bought it for, to put little holes in paper a football field away. ill post a follow-up when i receive the rifle.